TABLE OF CONTENTS


                                                      Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  .  iii LIST OF TABLES                                      . vii LIST OF FIGURES                                     . viii ABSTRACT . .                                           xi


Chapter

    I.  INTRODUCTION                                 .   1

    II. APPLICATION OF DIFFUSION THEORY TO
          NEUTRONS IN A FISSIONING URANIUM
          PLASMA                                     .  11

  III. NUCLEONIC ANALYSIS OF EXTERNALLY
          MODERATED URANIUM PLASMA .   41

   IV. PRESSURE-TEMPERATURE ANALYSIS OF
          URANIUM PLASMA FUEL REGION . 50

    V. PRESSURE-TEMPERATURE ANALYSIS OF
          HYDROGEN PLASMA COOLANT REGION . 82

   VI. PRESSURE-TEMPERATURE ANALYSIS OF
          HYDROGEN-URANIUM MIXING REGION . 108

  VII. SIMULATION OF HYDROGEN-URANIUM
          MIXING IN STEADY FLOW                      . 127 VIII. RADIANT ENERGY TRANSFER AND TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION . 134

   IX. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 169


Appendices

    A. UPLAZ-2 PROGRAM                               .178